June marks a year since Italian luxury house Zegna decamped to Dubai to unveil its spring/summer 2026 collection.
The show marked several firsts. It was not only the house’s debut runway presentation in the UAE, but also the first time Zegna stepped away from the rigid schedule of Milan Fashion Week and the traditional fashion calendar.
By choosing Dubai over Milan, Zegna signalled something deeper: a broader shift within luxury fashion, as brands increasingly take their shows directly to their most important clients rather than expecting those potential buyers to come to them.
Such productions are far from simple. Relocating a large-scale runway show requires months of planning, with collections, crews and infrastructure transported across continents. Models, make-up artists, hairstylists and seamstresses must be flown in, backstage facilities built from scratch, and VIP clients, celebrities and press brought in from around the world. The costs are immense, and the logistical complexity means such spectacles remain the exception rather than the rule.
Yet Zegna is far from alone in recognising the Gulf’s importance. Over the past two decades, Dubai and Abu Dhabi have emerged as key stages for some of fashion’s most ambitious travelling shows.
Roberto Cavalli
Roberto Cavalli has staged two runway shows in the UAE. The first took place at Emirates Palace in 2007 as part of the former Abu Dhabi Fashion Week. Conceived as a showcase for the Middle East rather than a single collection, it saw the Italian designer present a selection of his signature ready-to-wear pieces and haute couture evening gowns on a runway built on the hotel grounds.
Cavalli returned in September 2024 for Dubai Fashion Week, closing the spring/summer 2025 season with a high-energy show by creative director Fausto Puglisi.
Chanel
Like Cavalli, Chanel has shown two of its collections in the UAE. The first arrived in May 2014, when the French house unveiled its cruise 2014/15 collection in a custom-built pavilion on The Island, a man-made development off Dubai's Jumeirah coast. Under the direction of Karl Lagerfeld, the show became a milestone moment, helping cement Dubai's place on the global fashion map.
Chanel returned in November 2021 with a repeat presentation of its cruise 2021/22 collection at Dubai Creek Harbour, staged under the creative direction of Virginie Viard.
Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana staged its first fashion show in both the UAE and the Middle East on October 7, 2018.
Titled Day & Night, the event took place in the Fashion Avenue extension of Dubai Mall and marked the opening of the house’s flagship boutique. More than 120 models walked the runway in a showcase featuring exclusive designs created for the occasion, including shimmering suits, embellished abayas and richly detailed kaftans.
Christian Dior
In March 2019, Christian Dior brought a dazzling, circus-themed reprise of its spring/summer 2019 haute couture collection to Dubai's Safa Park.
Staged beneath a purpose-built big top, the event marked the first time a major fashion house presented a full haute couture show in the Middle East. Alongside the collection, Dior unveiled 15 exclusive designs created specifically for the region.
Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani brought his highly anticipated One Night Only show to Dubai on October 26, 2021. Held at Armani Hotel Dubai beneath Burj Khalifa, the event was hosted by the eponymous designer himself and celebrated three milestones: the hotel's 10th anniversary, the 40th anniversary of the Armani brand and Expo 2020 Dubai.
The spectacular showcase featured more than 100 looks, including the Giorgio Armani spring/summer 2022 collection and exclusive Armani Prive haute couture creations, alongside a live performance by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.
Jean Paul Gaultier
While this was not strictly a runway show, couturier and the so-called enfant terrible of fashion Jean Paul Gautier arrived in the UAE in 2022 to personally open a retrospective of his work at Expo 2020 Dubai. Called Jean Paul Gaultier: A-Z, the exhibition looked back across almost five decades of the couturier rebellious oeuvre, from enlisting his friends as models on the runway and making skirts for men, to dressing Madonna in a conical bra.
Manish Malhotra
A surprise attendee at Dubai Fashion Week earlier this year, Manish Malhotra's presence was not announced until the event was under way. The Indian designer's return came a year on from his closing appearance at the 2025 autumn/winter Dubai Fashion Week.
Called Inaya: The India Story, the show was delivered as a love letter to the history, glamour and savoir-faire of Indian craftsmanship.
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